Orca (comics)
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Orca is the name of a fictional DC Comics supervillain, who first appeared in Batman #579.
[edit] Fictional character history
Grace Balin attended Gotham Gate college where she quickly became fascinated with the ocean. She received a Ph. D in Marine Biology and Bio-Medicine she took a job at Gotham Aquarium. She is a very charitable person who funded an after school program involving the ocean for underprivileged youths. She also volunteered at a soup shelter and took care of many homeless people. Dr. Balin was in an accident that crippled her and left her in a wheel chair. She continued to work at the Gotham Aquarium until the funding for it was completely cut. The aquarium was going to be closed.
Grace was experimenting with spinal cord tissue regeneration using Orca spinal cord tissue. The Gene-Therapy studies and human experimentation that she was doing was the cause of her loss of funding. It is implied that Grace used a chemical formula that she derived from an Orca whale in the aquarium on herself and that this is what caused her to transform into Orca. She was able to switch between being Orca and back to her regular appearance as Dr. Balin.
Orca began a crime spree in Gotham City by stealing an invaluable diamond called the Flame of Persia, from rogue millionaire Camille Baden-Smythe. After stealing the diamond, Batman became involved. Orca wanted to sell the diamond and use the proceeds to help fund several projects for underpriveleged people. After attempting to sell the diamond back to Camille Baden-Smythe, Camille refused to pay for it and Orca attempted to kill her. Camille's security force shot Orca several times, mortally wounding her. She began to change back into Dr. Balin, telling Batman that the only way that she could survive is if he gave her the rest of the chemical formula that turned her into Orca. Batman agreed and she drank the formula. She then revealed that she could never leave her Orca form again and that she would continue her villainous ways. She swam away before Batman could apprehend her. It was revealed that the jewel was then sold to the original owner of it and that the money was used to build a new rec center near the aquarium as well as to "...gentrify a derelict waterfront tenement." Following their first encounter, Orca was not seen again until she appeared as a prisoner in the Slab during the Joker’s "Last Laugh" riots. She was able to escape during the riots with King Shark.
[edit] "One Year Later"
Orca was found dead in the sewers under Gotham City. She was shot in the head by Harvey Dent's gun, though Batman is convinced Dent is not the killer, and her body had been slightly eaten by Killer Croc. Orca's husband, Terry, was murdered by The Tally Man while he was being questioned about the disappearance of his wife by Private Investigator Jason Bard. During the investigation it was revealed that Orca was working for The Penguin along with now deceased super-villains KGBeast, Magpie, and The Ventriloquist. Someone had contracted Orca and other supervillains to turn on The Penguin and rob one of his storage facilities. Harvey Dent caught them and instructed them to stay loyal to Penguin and get any information they could about him. Harvey Dent was the prime suspect in their murders, but it turned out that they were orchestrated by the Great White, who plans on becoming the number one crime boss in Gotham. He managed to kill two birds with one stone, he weakened the Penguin's forces and he managed to turn Harvey Dent back into Two-Face.
